3 Mistakes Most People Make When Creating Their Vision Board

by Lucinda CrossJanuary 03, 2017

I am constantly amazed with the things my 6-year-old son does. He can take some items out of my purse and make a fort. Have you ever noticed what happens when you give a group of toddlers some random items to play with? Things get pretty zesty.

They end up drawing or creating something that they are extremely proud of. They end up putting some pieces together to see what awesomeness they can create or build. Their creative wheels begin to turn and their imagination just runs wild.

What do you think happens when you give the same box to some teenagers? Things go from zesty to testy. The teenagers begin to question what’s in the bag, is it silly, dumb or childish? They are no longer focused on being creative. The focus in on image and appearance. They either wait to be told what to do, or they refuse to do anything at all.

Now give the same bag of random items to some adults and they won’t know what to do. They will begin searching the bag for instructions. Looking to see what should be done or how. There is no zest, no test just where are the instruction so I can do this the “right way.”

Three mistakes most people make when creating a vision board are:

Mistake #1. Thinking that you are making a mistake is a mistake.Don’t focus on a perfect layout or the perfect images. I challenge my attendees to make the best board they can with what they have right now in this moment. I constantly remind them that there is no mistakes, no right way to do it. Just create without rules.

Mistake #2. Being embarrassed by setting big goals. Just like the toddlers with the bag of random items. If what they are creating doesn’t work, they find another way, and another way and another way. Don’t be embarrassed by putting weight loss on your board if you know you have gained some unhealthy weight due to being an emotional eater. Be honest with yourself and be free.

Mistake #3. Just putting things on the board with no intention of working towards the goal is not cool. Using the example in Mistake #2. The vision may be for you to lose weight. The goal is to put your inspiration up of healthy meals and healthy images and words that reflect your vision for getting healthy and losing the weight. Be specific on how much weight you want to lose. Looking at salad on your post board every morning may not motivate you, but looking at a salad next to a picture of nice fit body or a picture of yourself when you were fit and healthy just might trigger some energy. The more specific you are the better. Pick images that will trigger an emotion into an action.

When your visions are supported by a “why” that has meaning, you will find the “how” to bring them to reality.